The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean

In a village dwelt a poor old woman, who had gathered together adish of beans and wanted to cook them. So she made a fire onher hearth, and that it might burn the quicker, she lighted itwith a handful of straw. When she was emptying the beans intothe pan, one dropped without her observing it, and lay on theground beside a straw, and soon afterwards a burning coal fromthe fire leapt down to the two. Then the straw began and said,dear friends, from whence do you come here. The coal replied,

I fortunately sprang out of the fire, and if I had not escapedby sheer force, my death would have been certain, I should havebeen burnt to ashes. The bean said, I too have escaped witha whole skin, but if the old woman had got me into the pan,I should have been made into broth without any mercy, like mycomrades. And would a better fate have fallen to my lot, saidthe straw. The old woman has destroyed all my brethren infire and smoke. She seized sixty of them at once, and tooktheir lives. I luckily slipped through her fingers.But what are we to do now, said the coal.I think, answered the bean, that as we have so fortunatelyescaped death, we should keep together like good companions, andlest a new mischance should overtake us here, we should go awaytogether, and repair to a foreign country.The proposition pleased the two others, and they set out on theirway together. Soon, however, they came to a little brook, andas there was no bridge or foot-plank, they did not know how theywere to get over it. The straw hit on a good idea, and said,I will lay myself straight across, and then you can walk over onme as on a bridge. The straw therefore stretched itself fromone bank to the other, and the coal, who was of an impetuousdisposition, tripped quite boldly on to the newly-built bridge.But when she had reached the middle, and heard the water rushingbeneath her, she was, after all, afraid, and stood still, andventured no farther. The straw, however, began to burn, brokein two pieces, and fell into the stream. The coal slipped afterher, hissed when she got into the water, and breathed her last.The bean, who had prudently stayed behind on the shore, couldnot but laugh at the event, was unable to stop, and laughed soheartily that she burst. It would have been all over with her,likewise, if, by good fortune, a tailor who was traveling insearch of work, had not sat down to rest by the brook. As he hada compassionate heart he pulled out his needle and thread, andsewed her together. The bean thanked him most prettily, butas the tailor used black thread, all beans since then have ablack seam.